1 man dead, 6 others injured after boat crashes into rocks near Woodbine Beach

One man was killed and six other men were injured after a boat crashed into the rocks near Woodbine Beach on Thursday, Toronto police say.

The incident happened around 12:35 p.m. about 75 metres from shore.

One man involved in the crash died in hospital, police said, while three others were also taken to hospital for treatment. Of those three, two were in serious condition and one had minor injuries, Toronto paramedics told CBC News. Three others refused transport to the hospital and were treated at the scene, paramedics said.

Officers from the Toronto police marine unit were on the scene.

Const. David Hopkinson of Toronto police told CBC News that one person at the scene was found unresponsive, and "took a turn for the worse" on the way to hospital.

"Unfortunately that person has succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced deceased in hospital," he said.

Officers are now investigating the crash.

Boat hit rocks at high speed: witnesses

The crash happened as crowds at the beach were enjoying the warm September weather.

Witnesses say they saw a boat moving quickly before crashing into large rocks near the shore.

"It was moving pretty fast and it was moving sideways," said Mehrnoosh Izadi.

"I paid attention to it because it was getting pretty close to the rocks, but it wasn't changing direction. It didn't try to move past the rocks...it just slammed into the rocks," she said.

"I was just really worried," she said. "A lot of people were running to them to see if they were okay. No one wants to see anyone get hurt like that."

'Unbelievable'

Candice Sockett, who was enjoying her day at Woodbine prior to the crash, says the accident didn't look too serious until she saw multiple paramedics and police.

It's important to use boating equipment with care, she added.

"Generally, you feel that people are being pretty safe out here, but occasionally you see people that are going too fast and going too close to things that they shouldn't be," she said.

"I just heard a boat speeding, and I thought it was going to turn over," said Gabriela Schmenan, who was sitting on the shore when the crash happened. She says there was a large "boom" sound upon impact and that pieces of the boat were floating in the water.

It was tough to see the boat hit the rocks, she said.

"Especially now that I learned somebody died, [it's] unbelievable."